About the Choir
The West Sussex Philharmonic Choir was founded in Horsham in 1978 under the musical direction of the late Laurie Carcas and the chairmanship of local GP, Dr. John Dew. The inaugural concert held at Christ's Hospital School was a great success.
Now in its 30th season, the Choir has a membership of about 90 singers drawn from Horsham and the surrounding area. We perform three concerts each year - our local venues are St. Mary's Church, St John the Evangelist Church, The Capitol Theatre and The Drill Hall. Concerts have also been given in The Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Guildford Cathedral; The Fairfield Halls, Croydon; and The Hawth, Crawley.
A wide variety of music has been performed - from Bach to Bernstein and from Purcell to Poulenc, in languages as diverse as Russian and Swedish. The Choir has presented such well-known works as Brahm's German Requiem, Mozart's Requiem, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, Orff's Carmina Burana and Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony; as well as many smaller works. A most successful event - though hard to perform - was a concert devoted to the music of George Gershwin and his contemporaries.
Visits to the Continent have recently featured in our activities; performances in Bruges, Rouen, Florence, Rome and Venice have been given in the past four years. We also participate in the Sussex Festival Choir whose inaugural concert was at Arundel Cathedral in July 2003. Our next concert at this venue on 27th July, 2008, will be Mendelssohn's Elijah.
Last Modified: February 2008